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Micro-Manager Thorlabs Kinesis device adapter

This module ought to be part of the mmCoreAndDevices repository, but is currently provided separately because it requires C++14, which is not available in the current mmCoreAndDevices build system. C++14 features are needed in order to generate a reasonable wrapper around the Thorlabs Kinesis SDK.

Windows only.

Supported devices (many have not been tested with hardware): BenchtopBrushless, BenchtopDCServo, BenchtopStepper, IntegratedStepper, KCubeBrushless, KCubeDCServo, KCubeStepper, TCubeBrushless, TCubeDCServo, TCubeStepper, VerticalStage.

Known Kinesis devices that are not currently supported: BenchtopNanoTrak, BenchtopPiezo, BenchtopPrecisionPiezo, BenchtopVoiceCoil, FilterFlipper, IntegratedPrecisionPiezo, KCubeInertialMotor, KCubeLaserDiode, KCubeLaserSource, KCubeNanoTrak KCubePiezo, KCubePositionAligner, KCubeSolenoid, KCubeStrainGauge, ModularNanoTrak, ModularPiezo, ModularStepper, Polarizer, TCubeInertialMotor, TCubeLaserDiode, TCubeLaserSource, TCubeNanoTrak, TCubePiezo, TCubeQuad (or position aligner), TCubeSolenoid, TCubeStrainGauge, TCubeTEC. Most of these should not be that difficult to support with some more work.

Only basic functionality (moving, getting position, and homing) is supported. In particular, there are no properties that show up in Device Property Browser at this time. Use Stage Control for manual control. Detailed configuration of the devices should be done using the Kinesis application.

Installing

Please see the Releases page for pre-built binaries. Make sure to choose a version that matches the Device Interface Version shown in Help > About Micro-Manager....

Place the device adapter mmgr_dal_ThorlabsKinesis.dll in the Micro-Manager folder.

The Thorlabs Kinesis Software needs to be installed. The most recenly tested version is Kinesis 1.14.27, but any close version is expected to work. There is no need to copy any DLLs (other than the device adapter itself) into the Micro-Manager directory.

Finally, the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (64-bit / 32-bit) needs to be installed or updated.

Configuring

In the Hardware Configuration Wizard, add the ThorlabsKinesis (hub) device. If compatible devices are detected, they will show up as "peripherals" on the hub.

If you don't see your device, please test to see if simulated devices are recognized: you can create them with the Kinesis Simulator application, installed with the Kinesis Software (this will tell you if the problem is finding Kinesis devices in general, or particular to your device).

For each device, you will need to set the StageType to Linear or Rotational, depending on the actuator you are using. In addition, you need to manually input either DeviceUnitsPerMillimeter or DeviceUnitsPerRevolution.

The correct value of these parameters needs to be determined in the Kinesis application, because the Kinesis SDK does not provide a way to access the necessary information.

In the Kinesis application, connect to the device. Then,

  1. Make sure that your device is correctly configured with the actuator you are using, and (therefore) the displayed position (in mm or degrees) matches reality. Also ensure that no mechanical collision will occur during the following steps.
  2. Home the device if required.
  3. Move to the maximum position (if a linear actuator) or to 180 degrees (if a rotary actuator). Write down this position as P mm or Q = 180 degrees. (Other positions can be used, but make sure it is far enough from zero to get good precision.)
  4. Click on Settings, check Use Device Units, and click OK.
  5. Now the display is in device units, D. For linear actuators, DeviceUnitsPerMillimeter = D / P. For rotary actuators, DeviceUnitsPerRevolution = D x 360 / Q.
  6. To restore the display units, click on Settings, uncheck Use Device Units, and click OK.

Using

Once the stage is configured, you should be able to control it using the Stage Control window, available from the Tools menu.

Homing

If your actuator requires homing before use, the easiest way is to use the following script (replacing the stage device labels, of course):

stages = new String[]{ "KST101-26000001", "KST101-26000002" };
for (int i = 0; i < stages.length; i++) {
    s = stages[i];
    s = mmc.getFocusDevice();
    print("Homing " + s + "...");
    mmc.home(s);
    mmc.waitForDevice(s);
    print("Finished homing " + s);
}

(Or make the homing run in parallel by putting the waitForDevice in a separate for loop -- but it's best to do so after testing everything.)

Building

The device adapter is Windows-only and requires Visual Studio 2019 or later.

The Thorlabs Kinesis Software needs to be installed in its default location (C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\Kinesis).

Place the mmCoreAndDevices repo at the same directory level as this repository (mmdev-ThorlabsKinesis). The MMDevice headers and static library are referenced using relative paths.

Before building this project, Micro-Manager's MMDevice-SharedRuntime project should be built using the same Platform, Configuration, and compiler version (this may require temporarily switching the Platform Toolset of the MMDevice-SharedRuntime project). Compiler versions must match because MMDevice is a static library.

Building the ThorlabsKinesis project should produce mmgr_dal_ThorlabsKinesis.dll.